Plastic Free Inside & Out
A few weeks ago, I attended a webinar hosted by the British Beauty Council, all about “Plastic Free Beauty” The topics included why is it important that the beauty industry play a role in the world’s global sustainability efforts, whether being ‘green’ is simply a marketing tactic or becoming the new industry baseline standard, greenwashing and more.
This got me thinking… We (as a collective industry of brands as well as consumers) are always discussing better ways to tackle plastic packaging and coming up with alternative solutions to unnecessary plastic which will 90% of the time become pollution in our oceans. We are seeing more and more consumers challenging avoidable waste in terms of what their product comes packed, wrapped and boxed in… While I strongly believe this conversation needs to continue…
I kept thinking about Plastic that is hidden INSIDE the bottles! What are these harmful, sometimes unseen plastics doing to our river, oceans and bodies? What should you as a consumer look out for before making your purchase? I have always lived by the principal that; if you are unable to read or understand the ingredients, simply don’t purchase it (or look for alternatives!). Sometimes commercial brands will hide plastics inside the bottle by masking it with unusual or extremely complex scientific names, to either confuse the customer – or to make it overly complex to research.
Luckily – while working together with laboratories in formulating my range I was able to learn all about these ingredients in order to AVOID them. Such names usually include the below;
Microbeads & Glitter; Sometimes brands glitter and microbeads to their products as ‘exfoliants’ or to make it look appealing, however in most cases these plastics are in fact used as a cheap filler.
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
- Nylon (PA)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
‘Liquid’ plastics such as waxes or sillicones; It is impossible to memorise and even list all of the names that liquid plastics are printed on the bottle as – the important think to look out for is anything “POLY” – this is basic plastic.
- ACRYLIC/ ACRYLATE (CO)POLYMERS
- Cyclopentasiloxane Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)
- Polyethylene Glycols (PEGs)
- Dimethicone
- Cyclomethicone
- Acrylates
- Copolymers
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Paraffin Waxes
- Petroleum-derived compounds
These are used to temporarily coat the hair shaft, leaving the impression of soft, detangled and healthy hair, but in reality these man made chemicals will cause more damage to your scalp and eventually, when washed down the sinkhole, will form into ‘bio-accumulative’ masses – which are then consumed and absorbed by aquatic life.
For the full lists of possible microplastics in cosmetics, head to https://www.beatthemicrobead.org/guide-to-microplastics/
PLASTIC FREE INSIDE & OUT
Shop my 100% plastic free range both in formulation and in packaging – fitted with an aluminium screw top so that you are rest assured you will not contribute to ANY plastic ending up in landfill/ the ocean.
What you can do:
In the month of July, we celebrate ‘Plastic Free July’ and I encourage everyone to TRY to be as zero waste as possible in the bathroom. Tag us with your plastic free bathroom shelf & use the hashtag #plasticfreejuly. You can also encourage family and friends to try #plastic free July. Turn it into a friendly competition amongst yourselves. Challenge your favourite brands to think about their plastic packaging. Contact them and ask them for a plastic free version of your favourite formula. Chances are they have already been thinking about it!
Recycle:
Head to our salon in Chipping Norton, where recycle all the packaging with Terracycle. You can also contact us through the website, if you wish to post your empties back to us – and we will take care of the rest: You can also simply rinse out any of your bottles from my range, remove the cap from the bottle, and pop into your regular recycling at home.
Research:
Use my website – I am always posting informative blogs, videos and resources on how to live a more sustainable, organic lifestyle. Stay tuned by signing up with your email, to receive my weekly newsletters.
Credits:
British Beauty Council – The Courage to Change Report britishbeautycouncil.com
beatthemicrobead.org
plasticsoupfoundation.org